Music theory definition
Harmonic function
A chord's job in a progression: tonic (home), predominant (away), or dominant (pulling home).
Three jobs
Every has a :
Learn it in context
This term is introduced in Unit 9: Diatonic harmony. Work through the explanations and exercises to connect the definition with music.
- Tonic, predominant, dominant
Home, away, and the pull back home.
Explore with an interactive tool
- Progression ear trainer
Recognise common progressions and cadences by ear.
Related music terms
- Harmony
- The way notes sound together and how groups of notes move from one to the next.
- Diatonic
- Belonging to the current key - using only its seven notes.
- Chromatic
- Using notes outside the current key.
- Roman numeral
- A label for a chord by its scale degree: I, ii, V… Uppercase is major, lowercase minor.
- Predominant
- Chords like IV and ii that lead toward the dominant.